The Oleh Community Development Committee (CDC) and the Oil Landlords and the Odio-ologbo of Oleh Kingdom in Oleh Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State has denied making any attempt to shut down Oleh/Olomoro Flow Station recently.
In a statement release by the Community Development Committee(CDC), chairman Chief Obaro Ekokobe on behalf of CDC, Odio-ologbo of Oleh Kingdom and Oil Landlords stated that, “It is most unfortunate that, Chief Believe Alakri the author of the story fail to realise the magnitude of his story loaded with tissues of limitless lies calculated to mudsling the reputation of HRM A.W.O Ovrawah Omogha 1 the Odio-ologbo of Oleh Kingdom and Chief Obaro Ekokobe led CDC 2 in Oleh kingdom”.
According to Chief Ekokobe “We are mindful of the fact that lies told repeatedly tend to look at truth in the eyes of innocent people in the society. This has made us to set the facts straight regarding the aforementioned story written against me and the CDC 2 by some reactionary persons in Oleh kingdom”
The Community Development Committee(CDC), chairman also stated that, “It is not true Oleh/Olomoro flow station was prevented from been shut down by miscreants and the people of Oleh Kingdom led by the Executive President Chief Believe Alakri and his executives members of OCDU”.
According to him “The true position is that when CDC members heard of the protest with a view to shut down the Oleh/Olomoro flow station, Chief Obaro Ekokobe immediately intimated the Odio-ologbo of Oleh Kingdom who thereafter instructed me as chairman of CDC 2 interfacing on behalf of Oleh Kingdom in Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited to mobilize members of CDC 2 and the youths, women from the landlords families of Okporho, and Ukolobi (Itesa) to prevent the Shut down of the Oleh/Olomoro flow station. Later I was called by the Community Development Board chairman, Hon. Morris Idiowa on evening of 28th September, 2020 that he was informed that Oleh/Olomoro flow station wanted to be shut down”
He also stated that, “Later after the call from the CDB chairman I discovered that the person of Chief Believe Alakri was making announcement that youth, women and men should converge to his house at 4:am in the morning of 29th September, 2020 that himself Chief Believe Alakri and his group wanted to shutdown the flow station due to sack of our son Mr. Leonard Ovrawah”.
He further reiterate that, they saw Chief Believe Alakri and placards carrying women in the company of some dissidents in Oleh community marching towards the flow station whereupon I informed law enforcement agents, men of the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Police men, State security service who thereafter prevented the protesters led by Chief Believe Alakri from entering the flow station facilities because of their serpentine agenda to shut down the flow station, he stated.
He further said that, upon inquiries from the Law Enforcement Agents about the aforementioned and the CDC members present, we were informed that Chief Believe Alakri and his protesters that their demand is that cluster 5 in OML 30 project funds commencing from year 2014 to 2016 operated by Nigeria Petroleum Company and Community Development Board be paid to them, that there will be no oil production in Oleh/Olomoro flow station which is situated in cluster 5 in OML 30 if the payment is not done.
He also added that, the claimed by Chief Believe Alakri that Oleh community we not allow such shut down to be embarked upon, and that it is the GMOU regulating activities of Host Communities and that the flow station and not Itesa, Okporho and Ukolobi and it is not a family affairs but community affairs and that they have come out massively on behalf of Oleh Community in respect of the purported shutdown of the flow station of Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited asserted by Chief Believe Alakri is most misleading.
“The true story is that the members of CDC 2 headed by me and members of Okporho, Ukolobi, (Itesa) and some reasonable persons in Oleh that owns the flow station and the oil and gas well heads who are in cluster 5 OML 30 operation are situated and the land is not a conquered territory of Oleh Community Development Union or the entire community. The members of of Okporho, Ukolobi landlords family of Itesa are members of Oleh community”
He also opined that, the Executives of Oleh Community Development Union did not hails from the landlords, saying that, it was the landlords families of Okporho, Ukolobi (Itesa) that signed the lease agreement with Shell Development Company Limited in the early 60s when oil was discovered in their land that later divested to Nigeria Petroleum Development Company Limited now taking over by Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited.
“In a response to the aforementioned story whereupon Chief Believe Alakri wrote that the Oleh Community is saying No to Odio-ologbo of Oleh, No to CDC 2 is all cock and bull fairy stories. The true story is that I have earlier written that the misfortune of Mr. Leonard Ovrawah with Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited was caused by Chief Believe Alakri the Executive President of Oleh Community Development Union with the collaboration of some faceless person in Oleh Community who are envious of His Royal Majesty all in a bit to pull him down”
He furher affirmed that Chief Believe Alakri was sponsored by some faceless persons who are self acclaimed leaders in Oleh Community with a view to mislead him so as to benefit from the Oleh Community project funds and these group of faceless persons to sweep under the carpet the project funds meant for meaningful community development for their own benefit whereas to the detriment of the entire Oleh kingdom, hence, they resorted to flooding of gate of Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited with mischievous petitions which are unfounded.
He also emphasized that the inauguration of Community Development Committee (CDC)1 to interface in Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited for and on behalf of Oleh Community and the inauguration of Community Development Committee (CDC) 2 to interface in Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited for and on behalf of Oleh Community received resounding endorsement of the entire reasonable people of Oleh Community, the Oil landowners/landlords and the Odio-ologbo of Oleh Kingdom who is the alter ego of Oleh Kingdom.
“I was elected and inaugurated as the CDC chairman with the entire members of the committee and was also elected as the Community Representative Committee (CRC) chairman in Oleh Community, hence, I was eligible and qualified to contest in the election of Cluster Management Commitee position and the said election was also and
co-ordinated by Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited officials who also acted as presiding officers during the said election that took place at Emede Community with the attendance of the candidates of three communities of Olomoro, Emede and Oleh that made up cluster 5 in OML 30″
“Chief Believe Alakri did not participate in the Cluster Management Commitee election at Emede whereupon I won in a landslide victory because he is not a member of Oleh Community Representative Committee (CRC) that participated in the election at Emede Town that brought me into the position, so he has no legal or equitable right to protest either orally or in writing”
“It is the Okporho, Ukolobi (Itesa) families that owns the land that Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited is operating not Oleh community, Community don’t owns land, it is families that owns land”, he said.
He therefore enjoined those who take delight in fomennting unnecessary trouble and avoidable discord should be better advised to tow the path of rectitude for the sake of growth of Oleh Community in Cluster 5 of OML 30 and to maintain the cordial relationship that have existed between Oleh Community and Heritage Energy Operational Service Limited and not the other way round.
